U.S. State Department A new missile defense system designed to not only protect Russia from Earth-born missiles but also asteroids and other threats is being discussed in Moscow.

A report in newspaper Kommersant says that the Dmitry Rogozin. President Medvedev's special representative on anti-missile defence policy and a representative at NATO, has suggested an international missile defence system.

The system would differ from the US plans for a Europe-based system to defend NATO members against an attack from states such as Iran, to which Russia remains opposed.

One source told the paper, "Missile defence is currently being promoted by Washington as a configuration just to solve the global problem of shielding America and its allies against missile threats. Our concept offers them an even more global challenge: to save the world. And it won't be alone, but together with us."

The idea isn't that outlandish — it was once in a Jerry Bruckheimer film.

"There is already an archetype for this in American culture. Remember the movie Armageddon, where Bruce Willis saves the Earth along with the Russian [cosmonaut] Lev Andropov, who hangs around the universe in a trapper hat with a wrench and a bottle of vodka," the source continued.